Train services more reliable in Q1

SINGAPORE: Train services in Singapore were more reliable in the
first three months of this year, according to latest statistics
released by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Wednesday (May
24).

In the first quarter, trains travelled an average of 354,000km
before encountering a delay of more than five minutes. This is more
than double the figure for 2016, which saw trains clocking an
average 174,000km, the figures showed.

The first-quarter performance has surpassed the 300,000-km
target set by Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan for 2017 earlier
this year and the goal is to reach 400,000km in 2018.

Speaking to the media, LTA’s deputy chief executive for
infrastructure and development Chua Chong Kheng said the next step
will be to “sustain the effort” for the rest of the year and “try
to do even better”.

Improvements were seen across all five lines, with the Downtown
Line clocking the highest mileage before a delay, at 1.03 million
km. By contrast, the worst performing line was the East-West Line,
although its record improved by close to 50 per cent - from
travelling 145,000km between delays in 2016, to 215,000km in the
first quarter of this year.

The number of major delays lasting more than 30 minutes has also
fallen.

In the first quarter, there was only one such delay recorded on
the entire network, compared to an average of four major
disruptions per quarter in 2016. It was reported on Mar 30 that a
power fault caused a train to stall on the East-West line,
resulting in a major delay during the evening peak hour.

NSL SIGNALLING TRIAL TO ENTER FINAL PHASES

LTA said a major contributor to the improvements is the progress
made in renewing its network, especially on the older North-South
and East-West lines.

Trials of a new signalling system on the North-South line, which
will eventually allow trains to run at shorter intervals of 100
seconds instead of 120 seconds, will enter one of its final phases
from the week of May 29. The system will start being tested on
selected weekdays using the full fleet of 124 trains.

Such trials had started on Mar 28, with the system being
switched over to the new signalling system during the last hour of
passenger service on certain days.

It involved 30 trains initially, but was increased to 55 after
trials moved to Sundays from Apr 16.

In addition to the trials on Sundays, LTA said it feels ready to
begin trials on weekdays which would be the “real test” of the
system. It noted such tests have been useful in helping it and
operator SMRT identify and resolve teething problems.

Some issues encountered included the platform screen doors not
opening and trains overshooting their station.

Mr Chua said while the contractor is doing a “good job” in
finetuning the system, one of the challenges is that the
North-South and East-West lines have a section which is above
ground.

“Once you have above-ground stations and when it comes to rainy
days, you'll have a wet track, and you’ll have a wet rail,” said Mr
Chua. “So we have to find ways for the contractor to adjust the
brake rates when it rains so that the stopping accuracy can be
improved.”

Mr Chua added that it is still committed to rolling out the new
signalling system by this year.

“We need not wait until 100 per cent resolution of all problems
because there will always be some things that need to be improved,
but over time this will be done,” said Mr Chua.

LTA noted overseas operators who have also upgraded their
signalling systems said the new system could take four to six
months to stabilise after being rolled out.

OTHER UPGRADING WORKS ON TRACK

The agency also provided an update on its other upgrading
projects. For instance, work to replace the power supplying third
rail system on the North-South and East-West lines are set to be
completed over the next month.

Two tenders have also been called by LTA to renew the power
supply system serving the North-South and East-West lines.

This will come with condition monitoring tools, which will allow
for better detection and identification of faults.

LTA said the tender is expected to be awarded by the end of this
year or early next year. However, the project could take around
five years to complete as it is a “major undertaking”.

A tender has also been called to replace the 66 first-generation
trains on the North-South and East-West lines. These will have
sensors to monitor the performance of the train systems and track
conditions.

Imaging sensors and laser scanners will also be installed below
the train’s carriages to monitor track conditions, which will allow
faults to be detected and addressed earlier, it added.